Thanksgiving Weekend

It's been quite awhile since I've posted anything. Life has been very busy. We finally settled in our new home in Kelowna and the kids are loving their new schools. Thomas started preschool this year and is doing so well. He's starting to talk and he's much happier here in Kelowna. Thanksgiving weekend we had my in-laws over and also my sister-in-laws fam. It was nice to get together and the kids played the weekend away with their cousins. They are all growing up so fast and getting so big. Where did all the time go?

Here's a picture of Shawn and I. We took everyone to one of the many beaches right by our house. So that's the up date. Life is good!!!

Piano Recital & Art Show

The girls did so well at there piano recital this past Sunday. They did there songs perfect. It goes so quick though. They sit down, play there song for one minute and then there done. The entire recital was only 1 hour long.
After the recital there was an art show. Julia had her boat picture on display. They had prizes for the best picture in each age group. We didn't realize until after the voting was done that Julia's picture was put in the wrong age category. Her teacher put her picture in with the 9/10 years old. She didn't win but she did get quite a few votes.

Vancouver Zoo with Kailey

We go to the Vancouver at least2 times per year and the kids love it every time we go like it was there first time. It was a beautiful day and my group of girls were very easy to take care of.

This is my favorite picture of the bunch. This female lion at one point stuck her nose right through the chain link fence and was smelling me. (She must of liked my perfume or she was sizing me up for dinner)

Sold!!!!

Our house is sold!!! I'm sooooo happy!

May Long Weekend

This weekend the kids and I went up to Kelowna for a visit. I also had to discuss some things about our house up there with my dad. The kids had a good time. The girls love to visit with my parents and Thomas loves keeping everyone busy. Yesterday we all went to the park and my dad played with Thomas. Those two are so funny together. Anything my dad did with Thomas, he would laugh and get so excited. It was so nice to see him having fun.


My girls played with each from morning to night and got along so well. Don't get me wrong, they do love to push each others buttons once in awhile but not this weekend. It was so nice.

Fun in the Sun!

Today was such a beautiful day!! The kids loved it. I babysat 3 kids from Kailey's kindergarten class today. They played outside the entire afternoon which was so nice. I was able to sit, relax and read. I did a couple hours of gardening but for me that is also relaxing. Thomas was laughing at the boys diving into his baby pool.
Kailey and her buddy Lexine.
Joey and Jeff showing off as boys do so well.
Having some KD and Sunny D for lunch.

Here's little Ginger smiling at her mommy.

Pass the T3s

Well the past week has been a painful one. I had mouth surgery last friday and I'm still feeling the pain. I had 4 teeth pulled and my gums cut to help my eye teeth come through. Of course before my surgery started I fainted getting my IV. I awoke to doctors smacking my face. I totally forgot where I was and my body felt like a ton of bricks. My doctor told me at one point I stopped breathing!Scary!! When I faint for some reason I dream about swimming or being in the water (maybe its a comfort for me, who knows.. ) and this time was no different. So maybe this is why I stopped breathing because when you swim under water, you hold your breath. I don't know if I'm making any sense with what a saying. Anyways I'm so glad that it's over with and I hope I will never need to have another surgery ever again.
Yesterday I was feeling so much better until I went to my orthodontist apt. My doctor put these "buttons" on the tips of my eye teeth and then attached them to my braces. OUCH!!!! The hold drive home all I could think about is having some Tylenol and other heavy drugs to knock me out. An hour after my ortho apt. one of the buttons came off my tooth and I had to go back. Last night my face was so swollen and sore. I know this post is a whiny one but seriously it's all I can think about.

Yeah April's Almost Over!!

Julia had her ballet exam at the beginning of this month. (Easter Monday) She did really well and I'm so proud of her. I'm also so glad that she is back to one ballet class a week instead of 3!!
On April 17th the girls had their 1st dance competition of the year. (this was Kailey's 1st time competing) They did so good. Kailey wore her metals to school for most of the week. She was so proud of herself. The girls did a duo together called Hey Mickey.(looked sooo cute!) The girls put alot of work into their dances and I'm so glad that it's all over. If I would have know how much work would be involved in having a autistic child back in October, I probably wouldn't of put my girls in so many things this year. A lesson I've learned!
Shawn went out of town for 15 days and came home 1 hour before the girls competition. The following day we gave Thomas a much needed haircut. It's not the greatest cut but it will have to do. I think next time we will be giving him a buzz cut.
Dance Power competition this past weekend. The girls came in 1st in all their dances except Julia's solo. She came in second and was still very proud of herself. This picture above was taken with the girls jazz dance teacher Miss Danielle.

In between all of these dance exams and competition I was taking Thomas to Vancouver twice a week. This thursday Shawn and I go out to Vancouver for Tom's final diagnosis. I know I have a long road ahead of me. We already found out from the speech pathologist that Thomas has alot of catching up to do. He's at the level of a 6 to 9 month old with only his speech/comunication, everything else (motor skills etc...) he's at a normal level with the exception of a few sensory problems. If I work hard with him these next two years before he goes to school, I think he will be doing well.
I know I've been slacking in the blog department and with some of my chaos coming to an end, I will have more time to be on my computer.

Easter At Grandma Kings

All the cousins got together to have an Easter egg hunt. This year both Hannah and Thomas were excited to go on their first egg hunt. By the end of the night Thomas had eaten most of his chocolate treats and then started to help himself to his cousin's Easter baskets. He's a picky eater but not when it comes to chocolate!

The last couple of weeks have been very intense and busy. Thomas has been to see 3 new doctors along with his eye and ear doctors. Shawn and I have a final diagnoses meeting on May3rd with all of his doctors. I will be so glad not to be driving out to Vancouver 2 times per week. Tom has been doing really well with the traveling and meeting of new people. He also is smiling more and making a little eye contact with people. Starting in September he will start his intense therapy (40+ hours per week) and hopefully he will start to come out of his shell and really blossom into the little person that he's suppose to be.
Right now it has been slow going with the sell of our home which is fine with Shawn and I. We are not ready to move until our home is built in Kelowna (which will not be until Aug) so there's no rush. I believe the foundation is getting poured next week which is exciting. When I get a free weekend I will be going out to Kelowna to see everything that has been going on with our property. On top of all of this the girls start dance competitions this Tuesday. I'll keep you posted on how they do.

Shut Up!!!

Tonight I was scrapbooking and watching the Much Music count down. This new song comes on and I recognise the voice right away. It's Dave Faber. I new his band was at one point touring with Nickelback but now he's released his first single under a new band name. Glad to see he's doing well with what he loves. Anyways thought I would share that with those who know him. And his new song is really good!

Tupperware Party!

I am having a Tupperware party next Thursday April 12th @ 7:00pm. I'm having it at my home and Lisa is the consultant that is doing the party with me. It will be lots of fun and there will be a few different treats we will be cookin' up. Also there are some things in the catalogue at 40% off retail price. Please leave a message if you are interested so that I know how many people are coming. Hope to see you there!!

White Rock Once Again

Julia had another ballet practise in White Rock, so we decided to make a day of it. We had fish and chips for lunch at a table by the beach. I haven't done that since I was a kid and boy did it bring back memories. Then of course had to get ice cream cone. Can't go to the beach and not get ice cream! Thomas was not interested in sitting to have a meal. He walked for the entire 2 hours we were there. The only pictures I could get of him were pictures in action because he was so busy.
The girls love the beach, love water period. They kept asking to go swimming. I told them they were crazy.
While we were walking to the pier a train rolled on by which the kids loved. Thomas was in awe of this massive train. He has toy trains at home but has never seen a real train. He took every moment in, 100% focused on that train. He got a little winy after it passed us by too.
On our drive home it started to rain just a little bit. Shawn spotted this perfect rainbow in the sky. It was such a beautiful end to our day.

This Boy

This boy is our child, he's our love,
he's our aspiration.
This boy is our pride, he's our dream,
he's our legacy.
No one, not anything will take him away from us!
I don't care what statistics say,
I will make sure my boy never drifts away.
Away into that place of darkness,
where you are all alone.
Every morning I call your name
and I know one day you will call mine.
I promise you my son that I will never give up on you!
You son, are our hope, you're our light,
and you're our joy.
You son, are our promise, you're our delight
and you are our everything.
My son it's time for you to come home to us.


Ten years ago 1 in 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism;
now today it is 1 in 150 children.
That means every 20 minutes another child in the world is diagnosed!
There is a 4:1 ratio in boys to girls having autism,
1 in 94 boys world wide are diagnosed with autism.
1 out of 6 children are diagnosed with a developmental disorder and/or behavioral problem.
Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability today.

Nicci's Baby Guessing Poll

Even though Nicci has a planned c-section date for May 29th, I figured I would still do a guessing poll. (She hasn't made it to her c-section due date with her other 2 children, so odds are she won't make this one either.)

Here's my guess:
Girl
May 21st
5lbs 10oz

Rosie's Baby Guessing Poll

I know that Rose is going to find out about the sex of her baby but I figure we can still have it as apart of the guess poll. Her expected due date is September 14th.

If you want to play then leave a comment that says:

-Sex of baby
-Date of birth
-Baby's weight

Here's my guess:
-Girl
-September 16th
-7lbs 6oz

Shawn's Home Sweet Home!

It was so nice to have Shawn home this weekend. I got to sleep in a little bit (till 8am), had breakfast made and he even cleaned the dishes. What a good hubby! On Saturday we did a lot of running around, went shopping for clothes and groceries.We bought Thomas this really cute jean jacket.(I'll have to take a picture of him in it) Besides that not too much else exciting. On Sunday we had to take Julia to a ballet exam practice out in White Rock and decided we would also take the kids down to the beach. The kids all loved it. Thomas got to run around and the girls searched for sea shells and crabs under the rocks.Thomas preferred to be on the sidewalk so he could run as fast as he could. Every time we would walk by a bench, Thomas would sit down beside some stranger, smile at them and then take off running again. He loved the ocean breeze and was just taking it all in. It was so nice to see him happy. After Julia's practice, we were off the Mission to my mother-in-laws birthday dinner party. They moved about 6 months ago into a newer home that is right beside a park. All the little girl cousins went out playing at the park until it was dark. They made war with some of the neighbor boys that were also at the park. It was fun watching them until the girls started grabbing big sticks to hit the boys with. We had to call them in and stop their fun. When Kailey came in she told me that they weren't trying to hurt the boys, they (the girls) were just going to give them a little smack. Everybody gets such a kick out of her. She's too funny.

Oh Miss Jubee!

As you can see from these pictures of Julia (aka Jubee), we have had an interesting day. Today Julia was running around in the back yard of a neighbor's house. She was chasing after her ball and smacked her face right into a freshly pruned tree branch. She is smiling in these pictures but at the time of her accident it was not a laughing matter. Her eye was oozing and bleeding and she got very faint. The other kids outside said she was running really fast. She just missed her eye ball and her cut did not need stitches. I hope she doesn't get a permanent scare. She already has enough battle wounds from falling off her bed as a toddler. I don't think a day goes by without major drama happening in my household. Thank you Lord Shawn is coming home tomorrow. He has been out of town for 2 weeks and I need a day of relaxation, preferably at a spa. Boy does that sound heavenly!

Fear of Sharks Anyone?

OK since Leah brought up a fear of spiders, I decided to tell you about my all time fear. That would be sharks, particularly the Great White. I don't know why I have such a fear. Maybe it has to do with watching all those "Jaws" movies as a kid. One of my goals in life is to go in the water with a shark but be in one of those steal cages. I like to face my fears head on.I tell you what an experience that would be to see a shark face to face. Now first I guess I would have to learn how to scuba dive. I guess I'll just take one step at a time. Enjoy the video!!!

Shark Attack

Quote of the Day

I was sitting with Thomas today watching one of his favorite baby einstein DVDs "Baby Galileo." At the beginning of the movie a quote from Galileo's came up on the screen. Thomas starts speaking this quote at the same time as the narrator in the show, word for word! I know he has probably memorized it from watching the DVD so many times but I have NEVER heard him say so many words at one time and they were pretty clear.
This is the quote he said "All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered, the point is to discover them. Galileo Galilei." Of course I got so excited I went and got the video camera and started the DVD over. Of course then he wouldn't say it.
The thing that got me most (besides him speaking) is what he was actually saying. Before he spoke, I was sitting there thinking about how hard it must be to be lost in your own little world all the time. I wish sometimes I could see what he sees and fully understand his thought process. Then out of the blue he says such an encouraging quote. God was speaking right through him I'm sure.

First Day of Spring Break

Today has been a good day. I was a little worried with all the kids home from school. (my 3 and two boys I babysit) Even though the weather isn't that great out, the kids have all been playing outside today. I got most of my house work done except folding the laundry and I had some alone time with Kailey today, which was nice. While all the kids were outside playing and Thomas down for a nap, Kailey and I made cookies. (6 dozen of them to be exact)
My parents mailed me a copy of our house plan last week and I just received them today. Now I have to start shopping for cabinets, tiles and that kind of thing. It's all starting to feel a little more real now. I'm excited to move but the packing and unpacking I'm not that into. I never knew how much junk we had, until we start sorting through everything. Mostly my kids are the pack rats. I got rid of a ton of toys, packed a couple boxes (of more toys) and their rooms are still full of toys. My kids have five sets of grandparents that spoil them.

I Love This Video!

Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday I got my bottom braces put on and man do they hurt. I got my top ones put on 7 months ago and they were a piece of cake. (besides getting food stuck in them; at least they didn't hurt.) To top it off I have a mild allergy cold that's just adding to the pressure in my head. No pain, no gain though. My teeth need a lot of work and I am glad that I'm finally getting them fixed. Around my 29th birthday my teeth will look good as new and I can't wait!
Next week is spring break for all the school kids. I hope the weather gets better. It would be nice to get out of the house and go to the park or something. Also next Friday Nicci is coming down with her hubby and the kids. Mark that day off on your calender, so we can have a get together. Maybe we could go for lunch or dinner or even take the kids out somewhere. Open invitation to all you ladies. I'll give more details when Nicci gets back to me on when she will be here and that kind of thing.

Dance, Dance, Dance!

Dance competitions are just around the corner (a month and 1 week away to be exact) and my girls are practicing really hard. The past 4 months Julia has been going through a lot regarding her brother Thomas. About 1 week after he was diagnosed with autism, Julia started feeling sick. Shawn and I took her to almost ever test you could think of (blood, ultrasound, urine etc... you get the point) and all her results came back fine. I had a feeling from the beginning that it had something to do with Thomas being "sick." I think that is how she sees her brother after the diagnosis. Almost 2 weeks ago I took Julia to see Thomas's pediatrician who diagnosed him with the autism. I was a little worried that I had 2 children with disorder problems and was starting to panic. We were at the doctors office for 1 1/2 hours and in the end he said that she is just dealing with all the stress and change of our family dynamic and as long as we acknowledge her pain but don't add to it, she will be fine.He also said that she was very smart and very mature for her age. (yes I already knew this. She acts like she is 11 or 12 years old and she's 7) She still comes up to me everyday and asked me if she looks OK , but she is not freaking out anymore.
Back to the dance stuff, yesterday Julia told me that she got her love back for dance and her and Kailey practiced their dance routines all yesterday. I'm so glad my little is getting better. News on the boy:- At the end of March we start going to Sunny Hill health centre to finish up on Thomas's diagnosis. He needs to see three more doctors and then we will start to get some funding for him. This whole process has went so fast and all the doctors have worked hard to help Thomas. My boy has so much favor and I thank God so much for that.

Bath Time

This is Thomas's new thing he does in the bath everyday. It's funny because he won't drink water from a cup, but he will from the tap. Last week we gave Thomas a hair cut and boy was that a chore. I'm so against home hair cuts because growing up that's the only hair cut I got and my mother would butcher my hair. Anyways his hair looks OK but I do need to learn how to blend the sides in. Hopefully he will grow out of this fear of scissors and people touching his ears.
I've been pretty busy this past week. Shawn and I were trying to get everything lookin' good with our house and property. That snow did mess up a few of our plans. We have to still do 2 fence panels in the back of the house and put some fresh bark mulch in the gardens. Other than that this house is move in ready. The market is sure heating up and our neighbor just sold his house for a good price; so I'm sure we will get what we are asking for.

Here's Thomas

Made a few calls for dad, brought him the base board and trim and even helped shoot in a few nails. A boy in his glory!!!

Hard At Work

The Before: (What a Mess!!!!!!) And The After: Much better, but it is time for a new bedroom suite!

This past week flashed before my eyes. Shawn took most of last week off of work. There was so many unfinished things that needed to be done around the house before we could let potential buyers look at it. We finally have our bedroom renovated after living in our home for 5 years. We put in a new window, painted the ceiling and walls, installed a new window ceil, baseboard and trim. That alone was a lot of work.

Julia's Art Work

My daughter Julia started taking an art class in September of last year. Her class is for one hour, once a week and every week she brings home a new masterpiece that I can't believe she could make in 1 hour. (I know I'm bragging a little but I can't help myself.) She is the youngest in her class because her dance schedule only allows her to go in the 8 to 10 year old class and she is 7. Anyways here are her beautiful art pieces... This top picture was her 1st week of class picture back in September.
The second picture is a castle made with acrylic paint. This was her first time ever using acrylic paint. (Jan.'07)
This is my favorite picture to date. She did this just today and it's hard to she but she used some type of salt or sand mixed in with the water colors. This one I'm going to frame.
OK my bragging session is finished!

Our House is on the Market!

Shawn is off to an interview, in Kelowna at Alpine Aerotech. It would be so nice if he got an in town job to work at. The only thing is it has to be the right wage price (fingers crossed). I also sent 7 boxes (mostly seasonal kitchen items and kids toys) with him to take up to my parents lake house. The moving process is already in affect. Yesterday Jen and her father came over and we have officially put our house on the market. Everything feels like it is happening so fast.

Anyways back to today, Rosalia (Thomas's developmental specialist) came over to see him for the first time. At first he was a little uneasy about her. (Lately he has had so many people pick at and hurt him, he doesn't know who to trust.) The first toy she brought out was a big blue bouncy ball and Tom was her instant new best friend. Her job is to see where is is lacking in development and his only area of concern is his speech. So that was nice not to have any new surprises. She is working with his speech therapist, (who we see tomorrow) and we will all be working together to teach Thomas sign language. Rosalia thinks that will be the best route for Thomas. He catches on really quick to it. So besides the speech problem he is doing great. (I already knew that he was a smart cookie!) So that's my weekly update.

What's Goin' On in Shanyville

The King house is as busy as usual and Thomas is doing really well since his surgery 1 week ago. His eyes are almost all healed up and today he goes for a hearing test. I'm sure everything will go well. I think that the tubes in the ears did the trick.
Anyways in other news, our plans for our new home were accepted and my father will be breaking ground either march 1st (if the weather gets better) or near the end of march. The sooner, the better.I've already registered the kids into their new schools and in May I can sign them up for a dance class each. Next year they are only taking piano lessons, ONE dance class and canskate one day per week. This year has been just too crazy with two girls dancing. I just can't keep up with everything. I babysit 5 other kids besides my own 3, the girls do 5 dance classes each, drama and piano and Thomas has a doctors apt. every week. Then cooking and cleaning on top of that. Moving will be good for me. I need to just chill and enjoy my life instead of making it a zoo.

My Tough Little Boy!

Yesterday was the big day Thomas had surgery on both of his eyes and both of his ears. He was a little nervous when we first got to the hospital and he hated his hospital gown. We went into a waiting area where Thomas could play with some toys and watch a movie but instead he tryed to escape from the hospital at least 5 or 6 times. So the nurses ended up sedating him and 20 minutes later he was in surgery. When I took him in the operating room he was so out of it and was singing happy birthday to me. He was such a brave little guy. Both surgeries were fast, in total maybe an hour long. When the nurses woke him up he was very cranky but he didn't get sick from the anesthetics. We got home from the hospital around 2pm and Tom was off to nap time. When he got up from his nap he acted like nothing had ever happened. He has been back to his old self and only now has to learn to use his glasses to see better.

Oh the Things That Come Out of Kailey's Mouth!

Last Thursday we had sushi for dinner. I took the girls to go pick up the food. As we are sitting in the restaurant, directly in front of us was the man making our food. Kailey looks at me with a serious look and says "So mom are these people Chinese." My face turned about 10 shades of red and I told her "shhhhhhh, I'll talk to you later." She then gets louder and says it again. Well the cook just starts laughing out loud and then I start laughing. I end up telling her quickly "sushi is Japanese, so this man is probably Japanese." And that was the end of that. Kids always have perfect timing to embarrass their parents. (She keeps me humble on a daily basis.)

My Bucket of Tricks

This post is for anyone who has a frustrated 1 or 2 year old. Everyday when I'm cleaning the house or just need a break from my boy, I bring out his special bucket of toys. This give him something to do while I'm getting things done. Every week or so I change up some of the toys so that there is always something new for him to play with.
This has helped alot with Thomas's behavior problems. I find that we don't have nearly as many melt downs.

There is not much to blog about this week. Julia is performing in a play at her school today and it just so happens that my sister has finals this week in the mornings. So she is going to babysit Thomas this afternoon so I can go watch Julia. Then tonight I'm going for dinner at Elinis and off to a movie. I haven't had so much time to myself in a long time.
Shawn has been out of town for the last couple of weeks. He is coming home Friday because Thomas is having his eye and ear surgeries on Wednesday the 7th next week. I'm so glad that they are getting him in right away. They told me in the beginning it was going to be a month to 3 months wait and instead he only needed to wait 10 days. He is going to be a new boy and I can't wait!

Girls Night Out!!

I was wondering if any of you blogging girls were interested in going out for dinner and a movie this coming up Wednesday.(Jan.31st)The movie I was thinking we could go and see is called "Catch and Release" with Jennifer Garner. It starts at 7:15pm at the mission theatre. For dinner, we could go to spurs or white spot or whatever just not BP. Give me suggestions and please comment so I know if your able to come. Lee if you are coming, could you call Ang because I know she only blogs about once per week.

Thomas Update

I went to children's hospital on Monday and within being there for 10 minutes found out they could not do an ear test on Thomas because he had so much fluid in his ears. So when I get an eye surgery date, he will also be getting tubes in his ears. Then they will do the ear test. I drove a total of 5 hours for a 20-30 minute appointment. The good thing is I know how to get to children's hospital now. This was my first time there ever. The parking was ridiculous. You go in a payed parking area and there are zero parking spots, so I made my own parking spot. My grandma came with me to keep me company which was nice.

Yesterday Jen and I went out for dinner to white spot and then went to watch the movie "Dreamgirls." It was a really good musical type movie. Jennifer Hudson has such a power house voice. Why in the world did she not win American Idol? I don't even remember which season of American Idol she was on. Anyways it a good movie to see and very entertaining.

Tonight I'm going to a friends house for a candle party. I love candle parties but seriously I don't need anymore candles. I have a huge collection of party lite candles. It will be fun to get out of the house though. So that's all for now.

Heavy Eyes

Today I went and got my hair cut and colored. It was nice to get out of the house and get pampered at the same time. While I was getting my hair done Thomas was suppose to be sleeping in bed for his afternoon nap. Today he didn't want to sleep at nap time but instead play with his toys. (He needs a toys room because having his toys in his room is too much of a temptation for him.) At dinner time this evening I was cleaning the table and noticed out of the corner of my eye Thomas's head bobbing up and down. He had fallen asleep! I had to take a picture of him (but they are a little blurry)What a funny little guy he is. I went and took him to bed, changed his diaper, put on his pj's and he didn't even flinch. He was out like a light and because it was 6:30pm, he was out for the night.

Lots Can Happen in Just One Week!

OK, this past weekend Shawn and I went up to Kelowna for an Autism conference to learn more about the different sensory problem that Thomas has and how to help him. We learned a lot and are very thankful that Thomas is not as severe as some children are. We got to meet some people in Kelowna who have children with autism and it was nice to talk to someone who can understand what we are going through.We also learned that they have alot of programs in Kelowna for children with autism including playing ice hockey every Sunday morning at one of the local ice arenas. Shawn was sooooooo excited about that because since Thomas was born, he has been preparing Thomas to play ice hockey.
On Sunday, the day we were leaving Kelowna we had to go to my parents lawyer's office and sign some paperwork regarding the property that we will be buying. So as of Jan24th we will own property in Kelowna. Yeahhhh!

This past Tuesday I took Thomas to his eye Doctor in Surrey. Dr. Kennedy is booking him for surgery at children's hospital sometime in the next 4 weeks. (Shawn just went out of town for 3 weeks and I hope he will be back in time for Tom's surgery) I'm glad they are making him a priority to get his eye fixed. At the same time I barely get a moment to process what going on. He is also going to children's hospital this coming up Monday to get his hearing checked while being put to sleep. (They bounce sound waves off his ear drums and see how his brain reacts to it or something like that.) I think at home he can hear me pretty good most of the time. He's just got the male "selective hearing syndrome!" Seriously though he is constantly getting ear infections, so I think if they just drain the fluids in his ears he will hear just fine. He is such a happy little guy most of the time that I never know he even has an ear infection. We always are going to the doctors for different reasons usually regarding his eye problems and the doctor will just check his ears as a routine thing and every single time Thomas has an ear infection. In a months or so all his eye and ear problems will be behind us and he will be a new little boy. I can't wait!

Blood Diamond

Last weekend Shawn and I went for dinner and a movie. We went and saw the movie "Blood Diamond." Man that movie was gut wrenching. When I first left the theatre I was very frustrated because it just seems that our world has turned into such a selfish place. There is no value of life and it just makes me mad. I don't know how else to explain it. Anyways I wrote a poem about the movie. So here it goes...

A Life Of Africa

Africa is everywhere,

it's apart of our lives.

We see it everyday

in many forms.

It steals, it kills,

it enslaves and

it takes from our senses.

It leaves us worthless

and without hope.

You feel guilty

for being so fortunate.

Why am I so Lucky?

Why has Africa by passed me?

This place is so complex

and I can't understand

it's purpose.

Why are you here Africa?

Why are your people

measured with meaningless things?

My whole being

just wants to scream!

Why!Why! Why!!!

So greedy,so self involved....

Oh Africa you have

shed light on evil.

You have awakened

many demons of this world.

You have freed and split open

your wounds for all to see.

And now... you must heal,

and you must learn to

love life once again.

To take a life,

No to save a life!

What is a life worth?

No More Training Wheels and 1st Visit by the Tooth Fairy

Kailey got a new bike for her birthday/Christmas present from her grandma and grandpa King. We took her out off and on for the day and she pretty much has the riding skills down pat. Yeahhh!!! My baby girl is growing up.

Here is Miss. Toothless and boy is she proud of her missing tooth. She was eating an apple yesterday and out came her tooth. On her 4th birthday she got this book about the tooth fairy and it came with a little purple pouch that you can put your teeth in. Well finally after 3 1/2 long years she got to use the pouch. With the pouch she also left a note for the tooth fairy saying, "Can I please keep my tooth!" love Julia.